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The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year

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The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year

By: Sue Townsend
Narrated by: Caroline Quentin
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About this listen

Winner of the Audiobook of the Year – Specsavers National Book Awards

What happens when a duvet day turns into a duvet year?

The day her twins leave home, Eva climbs into bed and stays there. For 17 years she's wanted to yell at the world, 'Stop! I want to get off'. Finally, this is her chance. Her husband Brian, an astronomer having an unsatisfactory affair, is upset. Who will cook his dinner? Eva, he complains, is attention seeking. But word of Eva's defiance spreads. Legions of fans, believing she is protesting, gather in the street. While Alexander the white van man brings tea, toast and sympathy. And from this odd but comforting place Eva begins to see both herself and the world very, very differently....

©2012 Lily Broadway Productions Ltd (P)2012 W F Howes Ltd Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic Reviews

"Hilarious and totally Townsend. There were parts where I laughed until I cried." (Daily Mail)

"Laugh-out-loud...a teeming world of characters whose foibles and misunderstandings provide glorious amusement. Something deeper and darker than comedy." (Sunday Times)

"Full of colour and glows with life." (Independent)

All stars
Most relevant
Narrator was spot on
I related to the story so much that I could have been the character in the story
If you are at the same point in life as the author you will love this story

This book changed my life

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Just what I needed… a great read that made me laugh out loud and the main character is so relatable 10/10 🤩

Absolutely loved it

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Highly relateable. Appreciated the things left unsaid and not neatly explained. A lot was said indirectly. Funny, moving, satisfying. Enjoyed the narration too.

Loved it.

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Sue Townsend never fails to take her readers me on a journey with everyday unforgettable characters.

Brilliant

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Sad I’ll never get to read a new book from this wonderful woman again. Adrian Mole was my brother in spirit when I first read his secret diary I’d found at a school camp in year 6. The voice actor was brilliant and her ability to convey all the different character’s voices really brought Sue Townsend’s comedy alive. An erudite and astute wordsmith Ms Townsend is!

Sue Townsend is so funny!

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I was longing to find out , why? Why had she done all of it? What did she learn or get out of the experience? What was the point of it all? I have never been so disappointed in an ending.

Waiting for clarity

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The performance was wonderful, as expected from the actor. But what a waffling story - every time it feels like it is going somewhere, turns out it is to another anticlimactic end. None of the characters drew and sustained sympathy or understanding, which was infuriating….the only other time I felt like that was reading Wuthering Heights but that had such powerful drama within it I ended up saying ‘stop it, I don’t like it, do it again!’. The ending of this story is most infuriating of all, leaving me wonder why I wasted so much time getting there.

There are better stories out there - go find them.

Good performance, bad story

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